Bollywood Business

Wednesday, 16 January 2019

While
most people chose to ring in the New Year by partying hard and traveling to
holiday destinations, here is one woman who brought in 2019 by spreading smiles
and giving back to society. Audiologist-Speech Therapist Devangi Dalal of JOSH
Foundation, distributed digital hearing aids to 30 hearing-impaired children
this New Year’s week at her clinic in Santacruz West.

Devangi Dalal, along with ENT Specialist Dr.Jayant Gandhi, has taken it upon
herself to make the country free from the plague of hearing-impairment. She has
been instrumental in distributing over 1000 digital hearing aids, thus far, to
children from various schools across Mumbai, Nashik and Gujarat, among other
cities.

“The approximate price of a good hearing aid ranges from anywhere between Rs.
60,000 to Rs. 70,000. But we do not compromise on the quality. We want these
kids to have nothing less than the best,” said Devangi who distributed the aids
with the help of Inventia Healthcare. "The best and the most beautiful
things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they can only be felt… I
feel glad I was able to start my year nobly and with something that gives me
more joy than anything else ever can. I want to enable and empower these kids
so that they can hear and speak, attend normal schools, and grow up to function
as normally as you and I do,” she added.

At the distribution ceremony, Devangi also conducted an interactive session
with the kids where she was seen motivating the children to speak, not in
monosyllables, but in complete sentences. “Hearing and speaking is a symbiotic
process. Often, we notice that people who cannot hear are also not able to
speak proficiently, as when you cannot hear someone, what will you answer
them!” she exclaimed.

Indeed, hearing impairment in India is an important issue, with 6.3% percent of
the population being hearing-impaired, out of which 60% are children that needs
immediate addressal. All that a parent needs to do is a simple test and get
their children hearing aids. Digital hearing aids are better because they can
be customized to the user’s requirement. These allow for people to hear soft
speech louder and ambient sounds softer.

Wednesday, 2 January 2019

Some people just live the journey, some just break it even and then there are those who make success an addiction… one such multi-faceted talent is singer BishwajitGhosh, all set to take the music scene by storm with his romantic single, ‘Sau Fikr’, by T-series.

Sau Fikr is a soulful song by BishwajitGhosh, starring Miss India World and Commando and Aiyaary lead Pooja Chopra and teen heartthrob Shaheer Sheikh of Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi fame. BishwajitGhosh’s vocals are mesmerizing to say the least.

“The composer Rohit Singh had the song with him for two years. Many singers had lent their voice to the scratch but he wasn’t happy. It was by chance that when I was doing the playback for one of his other numbers when I heard this song. I felt an instant connect. Rohit loved my voice and the rest is history,” said BishwajitGhosh," said BishwajitGhosh.

Awards, accolades and recognitions are not alien to BishwajitGhosh… An aviation entrepreneur, BishwajitGhosh has been the winner of the Madhya Pradesh Idol in 2009; the recipient of the Best Male Singer Award by Red FM Corporate Clash 2012; has bagged the Best Live Performer Award at HT Musical Muqabla in 2002 and also been the winner at Surtarang 2011, to name a few. Not just these, BishwajitGhosh has also won the Voice of Bhopal for three consecutive years.

Having produced and created multiple audio and video cover songs, Bishwajit is a celebrated artiste in the YouTube arena. Apart from playback singing, he is known for his electrifying live shows across India; his stage presence and energy simply transcends into the crowd. He is also lined up for single albums and playbacks with leading music composers and production houses.

Said a T-series spokesperson, “We at T-series always encourage and launch deserving talents. BishwajitGhosh has a unique voice texture and the lyrics, the composition and the video with the talented actors has turned out to be very good. We feel this young man has immense potential and Sau Fikr is just the beginning!”

‘Sau Fikr’ is set to vocals by BishwajitGhosh under the music label T-series with lyrics by Shabbir Ahmed and composition by Rohit Singh. The music video, directed by Aarti N Raj, features actors Pooja Chopra (of Aiyaary and Commando fame) and Shaheer Sheikh (of Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi fame). The D.O.P. of the single is Suresh Beesaveni and it is produced by Fledge Entertainment.

Friday, 21 December 2018

Dr. Aneel Kashi Murarka, through his foundation Ample Missiion, presented Awards Zindagi ke 2018 which is being organized for the 3rd consecutive year. ‘Awards Zindagi Ke’ honours the supreme valour, courage and dedication of the unsung heroes who have selflessly devoted and sacrificed their lives for our country. Salutations to the brave martyrs and true heroes of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force, Coast Guard and Firefighters from across the country.The event at the Bombay Stock Exchange, was attended by a bevy of celebrities from the corporate world, film and the television industry, and the social field. Besides, hosts Dr. Aneel Kashi Murarka and Siddhant Murarka, mention may be made of Prahlad Modi, Gajendra Chauhan, Ashok Dhamankar, Kunika Sadanand, Mukesh Rishi, Rohit Verma, Afeefa Nadiadwala, Sandhya Shetty, Rizwan Sikander, Jiten Lalvani, Sooraj Thapar, Bobby Khanna, Dara Singh (Mr India), Soham Shah among many others.

The Blissful Fashion Show for Special Souls was an initiative of the Lions Club of Juhu & Leo Club of Juhu. The cause of the specially-abled children & youth has been very close to the heart of the Lions club of Juhu.

Audiologist-Speech Therapist Lion Devangi Dalal had been instrumental in the organizing and in the execution of this special show. Powered by Hyatt Regency, Mumbai, the hearing impaired kids from Sadhana Vidyalaya, supported by Josh Foundation, mentally challenged kids from Dilkhush Special School, physically handicapped kids from Little Angel School, Khar, including blind girls, supported by NAB, was a part of this special ramp walk with celebrities such as Aditi Sharma, Rahul Sharma, Rishina Kandhari,

“Let’s do away with myths and misconceptions dealing with any handicap. Let’s give them a quality life by enhancing their potentials. Let’s learn to live life as bliss and learn to face challenges like them. They’re a part of our society and let us get together in nurturing a better future for them,” imparted President Lion Raj Wankawalla, Lion Rajesh Rasania, Mamta Parekh and Riddhish Shah.

The specially-abled kids defied all odds and overcame crippling limitations & taboos placed by the society, to develop into gifted individuals. This fashion show carried a social message that was reflected by these special souls. The event showcased that they are second to none, as they walked the ramp, hand in hand, with celebrities & members.

Audiologist-Speech Therapist Devangi Dalal has the final word. “Every individual, whether normal or handicapped, has the potential to do something extraordinary. We just need to help them explore it so they can do better than normal individuals. In today’s world, moral support and security is crucial. The feeling of someone being there for you itself makes an individual more confident. This is my thought process.”

Wednesday, 5 December 2018

Passers-by at the Bandra Fort witnessed the world youth coming together to save the environment as 30,000 young boys and girls across 25 countries took a stand to save the earth through flash mobs. The enthusiastic youngsters from the Leo Club of Juhu represented India in this unique act, led and mentored by Raj Wankawala, Chetan Shah, Shashank Maheshwari, Devangi Dalal, Krutant Bilakhia and Akshay Shah. Aptly titled, ‘Feet Of Service’, the flash mob at the Bandra Fort Garden saw innumerable youngsters assemble at 4 pm to groove to a choreographed flash mob with a motive to save the earth. MLA Ashish Shelar representing the Bandra West constituency graced the initiative with his support. One of the tracks featured in the flash mob included the Leo Youth Anthem, composed by the veteran Lalit Pandit and written by Devangi Dalal. It was a Leo Club of Juhu initiative, supported by their parent club, Lions Club of Juhu.

At an event held by IE Business School, students from the prestigious IIMs, IITs, IE and ISB participated in a business plan competition. The IE Venture Day saw hundreds of institutes participating in business plan competitions and then the winners were flown to Mumbai to compete with each other. More than 20 teams competed to win the final competition.

“To create awareness in building an entrepreneurial environment, attention should be given to create an infrastructure for mentoring startups. India is the third largest start up economy in the world and our students need to be encouraged to create more businesses,” said Dr. Karan Gupta, the Managing Director of IE Business School, a Harvard & IE Business School alumni and founder of the Karan Gupta Education Foundation.

“At IE Business School, we foster an environment of entrepreneurship in whatever we do. From having classes in Entrepreneurship to hosting a Venture lab where students are guided how to incubate business plans, we are committed to teaching students innovation. At the IE Venture Day, we heard from the best minds from, the most prestigious institutes of our country. We are excited to see these ideas turn into real businesses,” added Dr. Gupta.

Actors Preeti Jhangiani, Sudhanshu Pandey and Parvin Dabas were present to share their experiences with the various businesses that they have started and to encourage the budding entrepreneurs. In a panel discussion, they spoke about how acting skills can be translated to businesses and how the best startups sometimes emerge due to necessity. “Passion is the most important ingredient in any startup,” said Sudhanshu Pandey. Funding is one of the most important ingredients in any startup success and “Be a big fish in a small pond - don’t waste your money. Spend your money wisely,” advised Parvin Dabas. And some final advice for the eager students - “Hard work day and night, be ready for the long haul. Watch shows that promote Entrepreneurship” added Preeti Jhangiani.

The Spanish Consulate General in India, Mr. Jorge Cadenas and Economic Commercial Head Vanesa Alvarez were present at the event and spoke about Spain being an education destination and an attractive space for young entrepreneurs.

The jury and panelists consisted of venture capitalists including Akansh Jain, Ashish Dave, Prakash Ranjalkar, Ashutosh Kumar, Megha Jain, Dibeyendu Ganguly and Dharam Mehta among others. Vikas Chaudhury, President of Reliance Jio Ventures enthralled the audience with his take on the startup ecosystem in India.

The event saw pitches from not only business school students but also high school students. “It was very interesting to see such young students pitch such innovative business plans,” said Vidushi Daga, founder of Clone Futura.

The IE Junior Venture Day was won by students from the Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad. Their winning startup was ‘Pyreoil’ which converts useless plastic to oil which can then be used for furnace and tire oil. The first runner up prize was given to students from Neerja Modi High School, Jaipur whose startup called ‘Plankton’ worked with Biodegradable plastics. Interestingly both the winning plans dealt with environmental issues and are can solve the huge plastic waste problem in India and around the world.

The winner for the main IE Venture Day business plan startup competition went to Disguise Cosmetics, a company that manufactures vegan makeup. The jury was impressed with the cruelty free makeup, a conscious lifestyle brand. The 1st runner up was IIM Kozhikode for a plan presented on growing vegetables without the use of soil, thereby revolutionizing the way farming is done in India. The 2nd runner up was IIM Ahmedabad, where the students presented a plan called Moodcafe – an anonymous chatapp and website that provides help for people facing any kind of psychological issues.

Almas Mukri from the Worli BMC School won the IE Social Impact business plan startup competition. Her business ‘Basket of Joy’ is an online organic fruits basket company that creates social impact and spreads joy at every step of the business. The 16 year old daughter of a vegetable vendor, sources fruits from organic farmers and sources woven baskets from sex workers. The greeting cards sold by her company are made by handicapped people and the couriers used employ deaf people. The other social impact plans presented included ‘100 Women’ which encourages entrepreneurship among impoverished women. A website where students can find mentors to help them was another idea presented to help students who are lost and in need of guidance. “I am most pleased with the students who despite not having the same opportunities as privileged children, managed to come up with such innovative ideas and startups. I only wish each of them could get a winning prize,” added Dr. Karan Gupta.

The winners of each of the competitions received cash prizes of Rs.50000 each and a scholarship to study at IE Business School and IE University in Madrid, Spain

Tuesday, 4 December 2018

Audiologist-Speech Therapist Devangi Dalal working on an initiative in Maputo, Mozambique to make a deaf school digital. The project is in association with Rizwan Adatia Foundation at the Health Ministry of Mozambique.